The Ohio state senate approved Senate Bill 155, called the Ohio Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, by a unanimous vote. If the bill is voted into law, it will offer a number of state tax incentives to attract the production of media in Ohio.
Senator Patricia Clancy (R - Cincinnati), sponsor of the bill, said, "Experience in other states with similar proposals designed to attract the film industry show that these tax incentives really work. With tremendous urban and rural diversity, a 
skilled workforce and strong businesses, Ohio is the ideal location to shoot a movie."
With other states seeing the tremendous success of Louisiana's incentive program (bringing in $500 million to the state last year), many states have been moving to offer similar packages to media companies. Other states offering significant packages are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Georgia and Arizona.
If the bill secures approval in the Ohio House and Senate, it will go to the desk of Ohio Governor Robert Taft for signing.
This should be an easy sell for the most part, as business and labor overwhelmingly support the measure.
The motion picture industry isn't a stranger to Ohio as some high-level films have been shot there, including: Spider-Man 3, Sea Biscuit, Air Force One, Mr. 3000, and Traffic, among a number of others.
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